Cheating husband jailed for life after murdering wife at Kidderminster home

Alan Evans must serve a minimum of 17 years. The 35-year-old welder was found guilty of murdering wife and part-time care assistant Louise, aged 32, by a jury.

Evans punched the mother-of-three sending her down the stairs, before suffocating her at their home in Stoney Lane, Kidderminster after she discovered he was having an affair.

He then put a skipping rope under his wife's body and a vacuum cleaner at the top of the stairs to look like an accident.

Following the verdict yesterday, Detective Inspector Dean Jones said: "Evans was a manipulative character who would do whatever it took to mislead the investigation and avoid the consequences of his actions."

Mr Justice Hickinbottom told Evans: "Lying comes easy to you. Not just in the context of having an affair, but also in the death of your wife."

• Secret guilt as Kidderminster murderer insisted he loved his wife

As the verdict was read out, Evans had his head in his hands and there were cries from both families from the public gallery.

A statement from Mrs Evans' mother Judith Bollen was then read out in court.

"Justice has been done now, our daughter can rest in peace," it said.

"In the early hours of July 10, our happy world was shattered when two police officers knocked on our door and said Louise had been found dead at bottom of stairs and Alan had been arrested. It was then our nightmare began," the statement said.

Evans had denied causing his wife's death, claiming he had been asleep on a sofa in the lounge and had not heard his wife fall, the court was told. He said that a vacuum cleaner was found at the top of the stairs with its hose uncoiled.

The jury was told that next-door neighbours Hayley and Charles Weale heard Mrs Evans scream and swear at around 10pm on July 9. At around 11.30pm they were woken by an 'almighty crash'.

On the night she died, the couple had been watching his actor friend make make his debut in Coronation Street. Marc Baylis who was brought up in Worcestershire, joined the cast as Rob Donovan, the brother of Carla Connor,

Evans, who had earlier told the court that he and Mrs Evans had 'the perfect little family', said they watched the soap for about 10 minutes and then fast-forwarded it.

Evans had told the jury he was 'heartbroken' by her death later that night, describing Mrs Evans as his best friend. He had flatly denied causing her any harm.

He had claimed during his evidence that he had never been violent towards his wife, saying he 'never lifted a finger' against her. During the trial, the jury heard how Evans had been having an affair with Amanda Chadwick, a teaching assistant at their children's school, for months behind his wife's back.

But Mrs Evans discovered their affair when she found that more than 2,000 text messages had been sent between her husband and Ms Chadwick.

Ms Chadwick had formed a friendship with her rival and enjoyed cinema trips with her while the affair was going on. She lived five minutes away from the Evans family home with her husband Simon McHugh and their two children.

The two couples began sharing nights out, walks and visited each other for coffee after Evans and Ms Chadwick first met in autumn 2011. Ms Chadwick told the court she had 'fantasised' about having a future with Evans and discussed having a child with him.